Palestinian athletes suffer as Israel devastates Gaza

In the first days of October, followers of Palestinian sport were consumed by issues and events that are the primary concern of fans across the world. 

There was pride in seeing Hala Al-Qadi, a 22-year-old Karetka from Deir Istya, win a bronze medal at the Asian Games. Football fans were busy dissecting and analizing the moves of the national team manager Makram Daboub ahead of the country’s first World Cup qualifier in November and the Asian Cup finals in January. 

Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza has shifted the focus to non-sporting matters.

At the outbreak of the war, Palestine’s Futsal Team was in Tajikistan competing to qualify for the Asian Championships next year. In spite of events back home, and the emotional turmoil many in the squad were facing, the team opted to continue their campaign.

The anguish was etched on the face of Mousa Harara, whose celebrations in the win against India were reduced to a pair of interlocked fists. The 24-year-old’s talent has seen him play several codes of football; earning a living as a talented jack-of-all trades for Ittihad Al-Shojaeya on the grass pitch, while representing Palestine’s national team on the hardcourt and on sand. 

Palestine’s footballers, particularly those from Gaza, are no strangers to the effects of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. Current national team players Mohammed Balah and Mohammed Saleh defied the odds by pursuing professional careers in the top flights of Jordan, Oman and Egypt. Both lost their houses to Israel’s May 2021 bombing campaign. Two years later, both players have suffered horrific loss again. 

Saleh’s Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza was bombed again, and last week the defender posted on Facebook that both his cousins and their families